Open schooling

For Bansari Solanki: For Bansari Solanki, being a reserve goalkeeper for the Indian women’s hockey team is not a place of uncertainty—it is a position of patience, preparation, and pride. The 24-year-old from Surat, Gujarat, has been part of the senior national camp for the past two years and was recently named as a reserve goalkeeper in India’s squad for the upcoming European leg of the FIH Pro League 2024–25.

Bansari is quietly putting in the work, staying mentally tuned in, and waiting for the moment her name is called. "I have learnt to treat every training session like my debut,” Bansari said. “It may not be today or tomorrow, but when the opportunity comes, I’ll be ready—not just to play, but to make it count."

Her journey from a schoolgirl who stumbled into goalkeeping in the 8th grade to a rising star in Indian hockey is a testament to resilience and quiet determination. Initially a studious child with dreams of becoming an aeronautical engineer, Bansari’s hockey career began when her school’s sports teacher needed a goalkeeper for the under-14 team. Her height and build made her the natural choice.